Addressing the elephant in the room right away, the one word which comes to mind in order to describe New Zealand’s campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is ‘disappointing’.
The side which has over the years impressed everyone with their performances in numerous ICC events, were extremely underwhelming this time around. The even more worrying aspect for New Zealand fans lies in the fact that the conditions were to the team’s strengths, yet the results were far from their liking.
To return home even without a single win is profusely underwhelming for a highly gifted outfit like New Zealand. They were out here in England a couple of years ago and performed superbly across the Tests and ODI’s. Just prior to his retirement, former skipper Brendon McCullum had ensured that a really formidable core for the team was built, that could carry on his legacy in the years to come.
But after watching New Zealand struggle over the last couple of weeks, it’s easy to assert that Kane Williamson’s outfit is nowhere near to the zeal displayed by the energetic outfit led by the lion-hearted McCullum. It isn’t that Williamson as a leader isn’t capable, but it was the lack of participation from his key players which hurt the team’s cause.
Finishing at the bottom of Group A, New Zealand needs to address a few key issues at the soonest. With the next ICC event right here in England a couple of years away, skipper Kane Williamson needs to go back to the drawing board to sort things out.
The Positives:
Despite returning home winless, there were surely a couple of positives for the Blackcaps. First and foremost, Kane Williamson’s efforts as a modern day batting icon deserve rich accolades. Commencing the campaign against Australia, Williamson led the onslaught with an awe-inspiring ton. Though the game robbed New Zealand of one crucial point, Williamson’s evolution as a batting machine came to the fore. The way he handled himself and became the fulcrum of the batting order was commendable, to say the least. With a fifty plus score in each outing, personally, this was a very productive campaign for the right-hander.
To an extent Adam Milne did impress in the three games he featured in. Had rain not intervened in New Zealand’s tournament opener against Australia, the Kiwis would have sealed the game with a high probability. In that very game, Milne rattled the Aussie top order with two decimating strikes. Against England too, Milne was expensive but was among the wickets. He got New Zealand off to a great start by castling England’s openers at the top. Though his bowling efforts weren’t enough in the end for New Zealand, his performance would go down as a bright aspect.
What went wrong?
Well, plenty of things went extremely wrong for New Zealand. For the Kiwis to have advanced forward, their destructive opener Martin Guptill was the key. Guptill’s importance in this team was integral for New Zealand to advance forward, given the right-hander’s incredible record in England. Sadly for New Zealand, however, Guptill couldn’t replicate his heroics of the past this time around, as he squandered off in all three games. Despite getting off to starts of 26,27 and 33, Guptill failed to make those starts count in every game. Chasing 311 against England, the target wasn’t too difficult for New Zealand. All the side needed to be was an attacking knock at the top and a bright start to support skipper Kane Williamson. But Guptill was dismissed early and that added excess burden on the skipper.
A captain alone is just as good as the team, and this was evident for New Zealand’s run in this edition too. Kane Williamson, despite being in some rich vein of form found zero support from that brittle middle order. Apart from Ross Taylor struggling with a spate of injuries, the experienced Neil Broom was a walking wicket as well. Taylor and Broom were the keys to success for that middle order and considering their experience, a lot depended on their form. Throughout the three games, the duo returned with dismal numbers, which drastically hurt the Kiwis eventually. Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham too didn’t bat with the effect they were expected to. In spite of being two gifted all-rounders, the duo made a meal out of their innings each time.
Trent Boult, the joint highest wicket taker of the 2015 World Cup, was another dampener for New Zealand’s campaign. In conditions which would assist him massively, Boult was expected to be among the leading wicket takers for the tournament. Instead, the left-arm pacer returned with a sorry tally of just three wickets, at a mediocre average of 34. In a major way, New Zealand’s inability to dismantle Bangladesh despite having four quick wickets can be accredited down to the pitiable returns of Trent Boult.
What next?
In the near future, New Zealand isn’t scheduled to tour or host any team. This is the perfect stage for the Blackcaps to regroup and rekindle their tactics for the near future. Any plan that is discussed, should be implemented keeping the 2019 ICC World Cup in mind, which will be held at the same place. The management shouldn’t hesitate in taking a few tough calls, which will be helpful in the long run eventually.